Some More Computer Questions...

[1 M.I.C]

Well im looking for options for a Recording Computer, i decided to go to new egg and basically window shop a computer and put one together in a wishlist making sure i had every thing i needed...i basically followed the steps in the blog about how to build a recording computer...and then added in acceseries and what not.. i selected each item according to compatibility first of course and did my share of research to try and get a good mix of quite items with the most bang for my buck. ... but anyways

My computer that i would have put together w/o moniter or keyboard/mouse... is about $860 w/o shipping or rebates.. ands its basically

- ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2.2GHz
2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel
80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
E-MU 0404 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface SoundCard

But i look at alot of the computers new egg sells for around the same price with similar "4200-4600+ speed", and the power supply is usually lower 'W' and of course it doesnt have the type of soundcard i would need, but the RAM are all either 512 MB or 1 GIG but the GHZ of the computer is higher then mine, its around 3.0-3.4 Ghz..

my problem i have no idea which one is more important because i really dont know what the ghz means i just know it has to do with the speed. So can some explain to me which one would be better to have, either higher ram or higher GHz...

[richiebee]

The simple answer is... its easier to upgrade RAM than it is to upgrade the processor. By this reckoning, it would make more sense to buy the best processor that you can now, and if necessary, upgrade your RAM later.

However, the best answer is that it depends on how and with what, you work. If you plan to work extensively with samples, RAM is very important. If you work mostly with audio files and use extensive signal processing or use non-sampled VI's, then the processor will be more important.

To start with, it might be good to get a balance - you need at least 1Gb of RAM. Get the best machine with 1Gb of RAM. You will probably at some point want to upgrade to 2Gb (or more), but you can do most stuff with 1Gb.

I can't help you with the processor - I've never understood AMD's numbers.

[brandondrury]

The simple answer is... its easier to upgrade RAM than it is to upgrade the processor. By this reckoning, it would make more sense to buy the best processor that you can now, and if necessary, upgrade your RAM later.

However, the best answer is that it depends on how and with what, you work. If you plan to work extensively with samples, RAM is very important. If you work mostly with audio files and use extensive signal processing or use non-sampled VI's, then the processor will be more important.

Well, it takes about 3 minutes longer to upgrade the processor than it does to upgrade the RAM.

I, personally, wouldn't think much about upgrading. I would focus on getting the most powerful audio system I could on X budget. The computer is just one of many links in the chain.

If it was me (and assuming you had the exact same needs that I do) I'd get the 2GB of RAM. Actually, my current recording computer (which I've only maxed out on a couple extremely annoying instances) is a Athlon 64 2800 with 2GB RAM.

The reason I need 2GB of ram is due solely to my use of samples with DFH Superior (drums) as the main culprit. I've noticed that I still fly through a gig of RAM fairly quickly with Kontakt 2 as well.

If you don't use a lot of samples, 1 GB may be fine....maybe not.

I've said this in other threads, but I wouldn't pay $800 for a computer. If you've got the cash, go for it, but just remember how much you are going to spend on soundcards, preamps, cables, mics, plugins, pop filters, extension cables, studio monitors, acoustic treatment, VST instruments, samples and stuff no one would ever forsee.

If you everything else covered, get the best computer you can afford. However, it doesn't make sense to have a 600hp engine unless you have race track.

Brandon